


it only hurts when i laugh

by inkk



Series: alphabet AU challenge [18]
Category: Bandom, Bring Me The Horizon, Of Mice & Men (Band), Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Enemies, Road Trips, oli's canonical love of britney spears, possible satanism/witchcraft idk, this is really dumb ngl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 20:57:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5470526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkk/pseuds/inkk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>R</b> is for <b>Road Trip.</b></p><p>(In which Kellin and Vic are mortal enemies, Austin is a grade-A asshole and Oli could quite possibly be a satanist.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	it only hurts when i laugh

**Author's Note:**

> hi! it's been awhile since I've posted in this series - i've been pretty busy working on another ptv/sws/om&m/aa story (called 'is anybody waiting (at home for you?)'. it's like 26k words and im super proud of it)  
>  _**WARNING: there's some implied underage sex for drugs in here! it's super minor and not even what the story is about, but please be careful if that's your no-no button._  
>  hope you enjoy! :)

+

 

"That kid is creepy as fuck."

 

 

"Oh yeah, I know the guy you're talking about - his name's Oliver. Oliver Sykes. There's a rumour going around that he murdered a girl in his old school, but they couldn't charge him with anything so that's why he got sent here halfway through last year."

 

 

"He's definitely a satanist!"

 

 

"He gave me some Molly one time at a party, I think? I was pretty wasted, though, so I don't really remember."

 

 

"Vampire, no doubt about it."

 

 

"I heard that one time he made a voodoo doll of some girl and then she ended up committing suicide the next week."

 

 

After one long, hard week of careful research (and maybe a little tuning into school gossip), Kellin is even more confused about the tall, quiet, black-clothed kid in his math class than when he started - "It just doesn't make any sense," he says to Justin, a puzzled frown creasing his forehead as he rests his chin on his hands. "I mean, I've asked everybody in the school and _no one_ seems to know anything about him for sure."

Justin lifts one shoulder in a casual shrug. "So ask him yourself," he suggests, jotting something down in his notebook.

Over at the front desk, the ancient librarian clears his throat. "Indoor voices, boys!" he says, pointedly glaring at them. 

Justin simply groans exasperatedly under his breath, but lowers his voice anyways - "You're getting kind of obsessed with this guy, dude. It's a little weird."

"Weirder than having no friends?" Kellin insists, adamant. "Weirder than wearing jewelry with pentagrams all over them? Weirder than people thinking you're a drug dealing murderer? Weirder than liking Brittany Spears?"

"What?" Justin asks, "How do you even know that?" He sighs - "You know what, never mind. You're only proving my point more, _stalker._ "

Kellin rolls his eyes. "Fine, then - don't believe me. You'll see."

Justin gets to his feet and flips his science textbook closed, stuffing it back into his backpack along with his notebook. "You're crazy," he says, shaking his head, "and completely, 100% paranoid. He's probably just a regular dude who likes to pretend he's tough by wearing creepy jewellery."

"No way," Kellin disagrees as Justin slings his backpack on, "He feels completely different. Like... He has different vibes."

"Vibes?" Justin smirks, calling "Later," over his shoulder as he turns to go and prompting yet another irate glare from the librarian.

Kellin reluctantly turns back to his bio homework, but he's unable to focus for the rest of the period.

 

\+ + +

 

When Kellin reaches his locker the next morning, there's a little pink sticky note on it - it's a simple drawing of a pentagram, with a little arrow and _"It's actually called a pentacle, not a pentagram"_ scrawled beneath it.

His heart beats a little bit faster as he peels the note off of the door to study it - _That kid must have overheard me in the library yesterday,_ he thinks in horror, frantically racking his brain for anything rude or accusatory he possibly might have said - _Oh god. Oh, god. He knows I've been asking about him and now he's going to cast a spell and sacrifice me in some kind of weird cult ritual and oh, dear god, I'm going to die a virgin--_

The school bell rings, startling Kellin out of his internal panicked monologue and signifying the start of first period: _...Math._ He tucks the note into his pocket for later.

Kellin sheepishly stumbles into class five minutes late, which earns him a disapproving frown from the teacher. To his immediate horror, his usual seat has already been occupied by a girl with long blonde hair and there's only one empty desk left.

It's next to Oliver.

Kellin freezes for a second, but the teacher impatiently clears her throat and he shuffles forward, carefully keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. He can practically feel Oliver's gaze burrowing its way into his skull as he sits down on the edge of his seat.

After a tense moment, Oliver chuckles. "I don't bite," he murmurs under his breath. "Unless you're into that, of course," he adds.

Kellin's cheeks burn; it's not the first time he's heard Oliver speak, but his thick accent still manages to take him a little by surprise. He feels like he should probably be saying something in reply, but then also simultaneously a bit like he's been hit with a sudden bout of paralysis.

Thankfully, the teacher chooses that moment to start rambling on about whatever completely useless unit they're currently covering in math, leaving Kellin to hurriedly pull out his notebook and pretend to follow along; in reality, his train of thought is going down a road that's a bit more like _oh god oh god he's sitting right next to me he's so close holy shit oh my_ god--

"You made a mistake here," Oliver helpfully points out, his voice soft as he extends one bony finger to tap on Kellin's notebook. "It's supposed to be a five, not a six."

"Th-thanks," Kellin squeaks. He scribbles out the offending number and shakily adds a messy six above it.

Oliver nods approvingly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I hear you've been asking around 'bout me," he says. The single sentence practically makes Kellin's heart stop beating. "Oh no, don't look like that," Oliver smirks, "I don't mind. It's pretty flattering, actually. Feels like I've got my own little fan club."

Kellin wants to sink through the floor and into a grave. "O-oh, I, um," he dumbly stutters out after a moment. "Um."

Oli grins at his apparent dismomfort. "Seriously, I don't care. I know what everyone says behind my back. I mean, most of it's total bullshit, but you can choose to believe whoever you like." Kellin wordlessly keeps writing out digits of the math equation. "I've heard about you, you know," Oliver continues. "Kellin Quinn." His tone is thoughtful.

"What about me?" Kellin asks suspiciously, still refusing to look up from his notebook.

"I've heard you provide pharmaceuticals to the larger population," Oliver shrugs, causing Kellin to tighten his grip on his pen and resist the temptation to tell him to lower his voice. "And that you're on the bad side of the popular crowd."

Kellin shifts in his seat. "That's one way to put--"

"Oliver! Kellin!" the math teacher angrily furrows her brow in their direction, "I advise you boys to stop chatting immediately before I give you both detention!"

Kellin flinches and hunches forward over his notebook. Beside him, Oliver rolls his eyes and mutters a curse under his breath, but sits up and starts writing all the same.

The rest of the block passes in the fashion of each of them keeping quiet and minding their own business (and Kellin anxiously overthinking the ten inches of space between their arms).

When the bell finally rings to signify the break before second period, Kellin immediately books it out of the classroom. He's still not quite quick enough to avoid another smirk from Oli, followed by a wink and a lazy salute.

 

\+ + +

 

Kellin sets his backpack down in the front hallway with a solid thump. "Hey mom, I'm home!"

"Kellin, honey, come in here a minute," his mother's reply comes wafting back to him.

A feeling of dread makes itself known in his stomach as he reluctantly pads over to the living room, uneasily peering inside to see his mother and another woman sitting across from each other. Unaware of his apparent discomfort, his mother waves him over and pats the couch cushion beside her, giving him no choice but to sit down. "You remember Mrs. Fuentes, don't you, sweetie?"

"Uh, yeah," Kellin nods, turning to address the woman herself with a nod and a small wave. "Hello."

Mrs. Fuentes smiles fondly back, her dark eyes crinkling warmly at the sides. "It's been a while, hasn't it? I can still remember how you and Victor used to beg to go out and play with each other almost every day," she reminisces.

Kellin forces a smile onto his face. "Yeah, we sure did." _Before he met Austin Carlile and discovered the wonders of shoving me into lockers_ , he silently adds.

"You two were so cute together," his mother gushes. "You used to have so much fun drawing with chalk and running around the neighbourhood." 

"Yep," Kellin stiffly agrees.

"Anyways," his mother waves a hand, "Enough about the good old days. Kellin, you remember that trip you were going to make down to Arizona this Friday? To visit Jesse and Jack over spring break?"

Warily, Kellin nods, feeling the dread in his stomach make a steep descent not unlike the drop of a rolledcoaster.

"Well, Mrs. Fuentes and I got talking at the supermarket the other day," his mother continues, "and it turns out Vic has some friends down in Arizona too."

"Okay...?" Kellin asks, desperately willing her to stop talking. _She can't seriously mean..._

She puts a soft hand on his knee. "I know how disappointed you were when you found out you wouldn't be able to take the bus, so Mrs. Fuentes and I thought maybe you and Vic could carpool down together in his truck! Isn't that a great idea?"

The bottom of Kellin's stomach drops out. "O-oh," he manages after a moment of silence. "Oh." His mother looks expectantly at him. "Does, um, does Vic know about this?"

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Fuentes nods, "I told him right before I came over here. He says it's perfectly fine."

"Well, uh. That sounds totally awesome," Kellin eventually offers, shooting the two women a weak smile. His head is spinning. "Excuse me, I have to go, um. I have to. Yeah. Nice seeing you, Mrs. Fuentes!"

He bolts from the room before either of them can say anything else, rushing down the stairs to his room and collapsing onto his bed, heart fluttering. _A week in close proximity with his worst enemy? No way._

Half an hour later, Kellin is still lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling when there's the sound of footsteps on the stairs, followed by a tentative knocking on his door. "Kellin, sweetie? Can I please come in?"

"Yeah," he answers, sitting up as the his mother steps inside. "What is it?"

"I know this whole trip idea is short notice, and I'm aware you and Victor haven't really been best friends since you were a lot younger," she starts, "and I'm not expecting you to suddenly get back together or anything, but. I think this little trip could really be a good thing for you." She sits down on the bed beside him, causing the mattress to dip a little under her weight. "You don't seem to have very many friends here since Jesse and Jack left, and I just get worried sometimes, is all."

Kellin sighs. "I still have Justin, mom. And Gabe." _When it's convenient for him and no one from school sees us together, that is._

"I know, I know." His mother gently rubs his back. "But you could always use one more, right? And this way you'll get to see Jesse and Jack like you had planned."

Kellin shrugs, slumping. "I guess so."

"You want dinner?" his mom offers, "It's a bit early, but I have to work later so I'm going to go ahead and eat now."

Kellin shakes his head. "I'll make myself something in a bit."

"Alright," his mom agrees, "I'll see you tomorrow night, then. And I'd really love it if you would at least try and talk to Victor to arrange some plans."

"Yeah, mom. I will."

"Thanks, honey." She smiles and pats his shoulder before standing up, quietly exiting the room and pulling the door shut behind her with a soft _click_. He flops back onto his bed, listening to her footsteps on the stairs as he thinks of a way to get himself out of this situation.

 

\+ + +

 

Oli is absent in math class on Wednesday, and the day passes by much more uneventfully for it.

The same can't be said for Thursday - it's the three-minute break between third and fourth period when someone in the hallway grabs ahold of Kellin's hair from behind and yanks. He yelps in surprise, wincing at the sudden sting. "What--?"

"Hey, fag," a familiar voice growls into his ear, "Suck any dicks lately?" A few passing students look over, but quickly avert their eyes and shuffle along. He can't blame them; it's become a routine deal, after all, and they know it's better him than them.

"Leave me the fuck alone, Carlile," Kellin spits, "I don't have time for your bullshit today."

Austin tugs sharply at his hair, causing his scalp to burn. "Wrong answer. You better be getting us that oxy you promised, or else I'll be doing a lot more than hair-pulling," he threatens.

"Kinky," Kellin daringly smirks, gasping in pain when Austin jerks his head back. _Fuck his brain-to-mouth filter and stupidly untimely comebacks._ "Fine, fine! God, I've got it under control, Jesus. I'm meeting up with my guy on the way over to the house tonight."

"Cutting it a little close, aren't we?" Austin hisses. "Just keep your pretty mouth shut and get the drugs, or else there'll be consequences. We'll be waiting."

With one last violent shove forwards, Austin stalks off down the hall, leaving Kellin to irritably rub at the back of his head. _Shit._

"Hey," a voice quietly asks, "Kellin? What was that about? Are you alright?"

It's Gabe; he's standing against the wall a few feet away, clutching a textbook to his chest with hunched shoulders and a guilty look in his eyes.

 _Good_ , Kellin thinks, _He should feel guilty._ He doesn't say anything, though, just venomously narrows his eyes at Gabe until he eventually gets the message and leaves. _Serves him right for being a shitty friend._

_Fuck._

 

\+ + +

 

"Hey, mum?" Kellin calls, "I'm going out for a while, I'll be back in a while!"

"Alright!" his mom's voice floats out from behind her office door. "Don't stay out too late, okay? And please come in the back door. Goodnight!"

Kellin calls back "'Night!" and steps out the front door, locking it behind him and shivering a little in the chilly night air. It's already April, but in the absence of sunlight, the slight breeze cuts right through his hoodie and black jeans.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to walk far. Kellin catches sight of the familiar rusty blue sedan only two or three blocks away from his house, glistening wetly beneath the flickering street light at the side of the road. A tall, hooded figure leans against the passenger-side door.

Kellin picks up the pace. "Hey," he addresses the man sotto voce as he draws close. "You have what I asked for, right?"

The man nods, pulling a white plastic bottle from his pocket. Kellin reaches out to take it from him, but he teasingly pulls it back - "Not so fast," he tuts, "Payment first."

"Here?" Kellin hisses, looking around the darkened suburban street.

The guy shrugs. "Yeah, why not?" he grins, "There's nobody around, anyways."

A million different scenarios flash through Kellin's mind - a car diving by, someone taking the trash out, a person walking their dog--

"Do you want your pills or not?" the man asks, still smiling. There's a subliminally malicious edge to his tone that makes Kellin's skin prickle.

"Uh, yeah," he eventually manages, "I just don't know if--"

"Then hurry up and get it over with. I don't have all day, kid."

Kellin bristles at that. "C'mon, can't we at least do this in your car?" he grits his teeth. "Last time--"

"No can do," the guy shakes his head. His cheerful demeanour is starting to get seriously creepy. "It's now or never, man. Take it or leave it."

Agitatedly, Kellin shifts on his feet. "You're an asshole, you know that?"

"Yeah, maybe. An asshole who gives you a dirt-cheap price for great drugs, though. We might have to change that."

Kellin sets his jaw and glares for a second before slipping to his knees on the damp grass. He shuts his eyes for a brief moment, cheeks burning as he makes quick work of the man's zipper.

 

\+ + +

 

By the time Kellin arrives at whoever's house tonight's party is at, everything is already in full swing - there are a few shitty cars parked up and down the street, light spilling onto an unkempt front lawn as some kind of generic pop music plays from inside.

He takes a deep breath as he walks up the front steps with hot cheeks, fingers curling around the bottle inside his pocket before steeling his nerves and pushing the front door open without bothering to knock. Some hyperactive kid - Jack? Jake? - spies him almost immediately, letting out an obnoxious yell. "The fun stuff's here!" he whoops, grinning widely.

A moment later, Austin appears in the doorway of what looks to be a dining room with a smug smile perched on his face. "Get over here," he instructs.

Kellin meekly obeys. He shuffles forward through the people in the hallway until he's standing in front of Austin, carefully keeping his eyes locked on the floor the whole time. He flinches when he feels an arm slinging itself around his shoulders, but doesn't dare move away - "You've got what I asked for, right?" Austin purrs, breath hot against Kellin's ear.

"Y-yeah," Kellin stutters, slipping the bottle out of his pocket and into Austin's slender fingers. 

"Aw, Percs? Hell yeah." He shakes it once with a contemplative look, causing it to rattle, then grins. "7.5, too - not bad. Thanks, man. Stick around and hang out with us for a little while, yeah? Have a drink?"

"I really don't think--" Kellin starts to say, but Austin ignores his protests, instead using the arm around his shoulders to propel him further into the house. "But we have school tomor--"

"Do we?" Austin he rolls his eyes as they enter the living room, "I hadn't noticed." He makes a face. "Just skip, or something. Jenna's parents aren't getting home 'til Sunday, so all of us are sleeping here."

Before Kellin can figure out what to make of that, he hears his name being called.

"Kells!" Vic exclaims from across the room, his tone as happy and excited as the time he proudly told Kellin he didn't need training wheels anymore, "Kells, come smoke with us!"

"See? There you go," Austin nods, retracting his arm and pushing Kellin in the direction of the couch Vic, Jenna and another girl he doesn't know are lazily sprawled onto. "Drinks are around here somewhere, so help yourself. I'm gonna go get this party mellowed the fuck out," he announces, shaking the pill bottle before slipping out of the room.

Kellin really just wants to go home. Austin's sudden hospitality is making him incredibly uneasy, but he feels forced to stay and accept it nonetheless. Awkwardly, he shuffles over to the couch and sits down as far away from the others as he can manage. The coffee table is littered with empty disposable cups.

A moment later Jenna passes him a lumpy, half-smoked joint between her thumb and forefinger - Kellin reluctantly accepts and takes a shallow drag from before handing it back. "Thanks," he croaks on the inhale. The smoke goes down rough, prickling hotly at the back of his throat; Kellin thanks his lucky stars he doesn't embarrass himself by coughing. He'd probably never be able to live that down.

When he finally exhales and looks up, Vic's cheeks are hollowed around the joint as he holds a lighter up to the end. Kellin watches intently as he inhales deeply and holds his breath before slowly letting it out, a faint cloud of smoke trickling from his nose and mouth. Their eyes meet and he grins, passing the meager remains of the joint over the to girl on his other side (much to Jenna's dismay). "Let's go find Oli," he announces.

"Oli?" Kellin asks in surprise, "He's here?"

"Everyone's here!" Vic cheerfully responds with a doped-up smile, then, "I like Oli. We're tight. We're totally bros." His gaze wanders around the room. "C'mon, let's go find him!"

Kellin isn't sure if it's a suggestion or an instruction, but he plans on following it anyways - he follows Vic as he stands up from the couch with fairly minimal swaying, making his way back out into the hall. "Where's Olllliiiii?" he yells, thumping his fist against the wall to his left, "Kellin! Help me find my Oliver!"

"'Your Oliver'?" Kellin snorts, at the same time a passing Alex shouts "He's over in the kitchen, dickwad!"

"Dickwad," Vic repeats to himself, then giggles. He must be even more out of it than Kellin had originally assumed.

"C'mon," Kellin finds himself saying, splaying a hand between Vic's solid shoulder blades in an effort to direct him through the people and towards the kitchen. 

Vic's eyes practically light up when he sees Oliver leaning against the counter with whatever's left of the bottle of Percocet in hand. Unsurprisingly, he's dressed in his usual attire of black jeans and a Metallica shirt, no doubt with a pentagram - _wait, didn't he say it was a pentacle?_ \- necklace tucked underneath.

"There you are!" Vic laughs, rushing forward to gently head-butt his stomach. "Gimme some, gimme some, gimme some!"

 _Huh._ Kellin thinks this must be the first time he's seen Oliver outside of school - he didn't know he and Vic even knew each other, let alone the fact that apparently now they're best friends.

On an unrelated note, it seems to be a lot harder to hate Vic when he's high.

"Oi! You want some, Quinn?" Oliver asks, raising one brow and extending the container as Vic swallows two pale yellow capsules with water from the sink behind him.

Kellin slowly shakes his head, deliberately not establishing eye contact. He's disgusted enough by what he had to do to get the pills that they've lost any and all appeal they once might have held. "No, I think I should go home now--" he starts to say.

"Aw, come on, don't be a damp towel," Oli cuts him off with a frown, "Relax. Take a chill pill or six." He shakes the outstretched bottle.

"Fine," Kellin weakly agrees after a moment, "But only one, okay?"

Oli smirks and gives him two anyways, then hands the bottle off to Jack (or was it Jake?). "If you directly give any to Tom and I find out, your ass'll be kicked so hard you'll be able to taste your own shit for a week," he warns with a sharp smile. Jack simply nods and scampers off, the small group in the kitchen leaving to trail after him.

Vic slumps one hip against the counter with his forehead resting against Oli's shoulder. "How long did you say does this stuff take to kick in?" he asks.

Oli exasperatedly rolls his eyes, gently cuffing his head. "Dunno. Patience, mate. Give it a few."

"It's, um. It's supposed to be about fifteen to twenty minutes," Kellin blurts. "Until it should start to work, I mean." He anxiously fiddles with the pills in his hand before popping one into the back of his mouth and swallowing it dry, feeling the way they watch him as his throat contracts uncomfortably when he swallows.

Maybe, just for tonight, he can manage to forget that these are the people who make his daily life a living hell.

 

\+ + +

 

It's two in the morning when Kellin finally leaves the house and walks home, Vic's parting words of _"I'll pick you up tomorrow at around three, man"_ still bouncing around in his ears. 

He feels... good. His insides are warm, and pleasant, lazily contentment swirls around his brain as he slowly makes his way home.

Kellin comes into the house through the back door (like his mom asked), quietly slipping his hoodie off before padding down the darkened stairs to his bedroom. For a brief second, he debates packing now and getting it over with for, then dismisses the thought and slides into bed without bothering to take off his clothes.

It can all just wait until tomorrow.

 

\+ + +

 

"Kellin, honey, I'm headed off to work! You better get up soon, or else you'll be late to school. I'm leaving some money on the counter for gas or a hotel, okay? Have fun this week, and text me whenever!"

Kellin groans and flings one jean-clad leg over the side of his bed, rubbing at his eyes. They feel like they're on fire. "Yeah, I'm getting up now!" he hollers back, then, "Love you! Have a good week!"

He waits for the sound of the garage door opening and closing before finally stumbling out of bed, grabbing his phone and slowly makes his way upstairs to the kitchen. _Ugh_. Faint nausea overtakes his senses as he pours himself a cup of lukewarm coffee before flopping down at the kitchen table. Surprisingly, he opens his phone to find he has three new text messages:

_Unknown Number > Kellin [2:46AM]  
dude if s vic gabe habe me yoru number_

_Unknown Number > Kellin [2:47AM]  
see tou at thrre buddy!!!!!_

_Gabe > Kellin [2:51AM]  
I gave Vic ur #... sorry... he rlly wanted it 4 some reason......_

Kellin sighs and takes a long sip of coffee. Great - this way. he can be tormented over text, too! _Way to go, Gabe._ For someone who supposedly gives a damn, he really doesn't put up too much of a fight.

It's 7:00 now, which gives Kellin about a half hour to get to school; he quickly pops a piece of (possibly stale) bread into the toaster and rushes through washing his face, hurriedly combing a hand through his unfortunately tangled hair before pulling on his hoodie and backpack. He still looks like a certified mess, but it'll have to do for now. So what if he's been wearing the same clothes for twenty-four hours?

(Halfway on the walk to school, Kellin mournfully realizes he forgot his toast. Because it just had to be one of those days.)

Luckily, Austin, Vic and their usual crew all appear to be absent this morning - _"Just skip, or something"_ his hippocampus helpfully supplies - so he doesn't have to watch his back for any hair-pulling or name-calling. In a way, it's a blessed reprieve, but Kellin can't help but to think he'd still rather take bullying over the uncomfortable friendliness he experienced last night. He doesn't want to become the kid everyone temporarily likes because he has access to drugs. (If he hasn't already, that is.)

The morning seems to fly by, and Kellin floats from an Oli-less math class to science to double language arts in a daze, barely capable of focusing on anything his teachers are saying; before he know it, it's already 2:00 and the bell is ringing to go home. He has butterflies in his stomach as he races home to quickly toss the necessary clothes and toiletries into a duffel bag, and then on second thought, a blank journal, pen and the unused disposable camera he got from some stupid summer camp three years ago.

(He knows Jesse and Jack will call him gay for it, but whatever. Kellin's a sucker for long-lasting memories and easy photo development.)

The upstairs doorbell rings - with a shock, he realizes the clock reads 3:02.

Kellin's chest feels tight again, but he determinedly shoves his nervousness down as he climbs the stairs. _You're doing this for Jesse and Jack,_ he reminds himself. _It's only seven days with Vic, anyways, and he'll probably just ignore you. Quit being such a fucking baby._

Without further ado, he grabs the cash his mom left on the kitchen counter before slipping his shoes on and hesitantly pulling the front door open.

"Hey," Vic greets him with a perfunctory smile. There are faint bags under his eyes from last night. "Uh. Ready to go?"

Kellin silently nods, readjusting his grip on the strap of his duffel bag. _As I'll ever be._

"So Arizona, huh?" Vic says as they climb into the truck.

"Yep," Kellin says stiffly, popping the P. "Tucson."

Vic nods. "Cool. Jaime and Tony are up in Sedona, but I was thinking we could visit your guys first and then drop in on them on the way back. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Kellin agrees, buckling his seatbelt and mentally urging Vic to _just go, already._

"Aaand," Vic continues, "It's about a fifteen or sixteen hour drive and I don't want to drive through the night, so we're gonna have to stop to check into a motel somewhere along the way. 'Kay?"

Kellin rolls his eyes. "Just start driving, okay? You don't have to pretend to be nice to me."

Vic sighs and frowns for a second like he's about to say something, then faces forwards and twists the key in the ignition. The engine purrs to life and they pull out of the driveway without another word.

They continue drive in absolute silence until around the outskirts of town, when suddenly, a strange voice announces, "We need Cheetos."

Kellin yelps and jumps forwards, accidentally slamming his head on the dashboard with a painful _thunk_ \- "What the fuck?!" he yells, whirling around to see _Oliver fucking Sykes_ giggling in the backseat. He turns to Vic - "What the fuck?!" he shrills, "Jesus Christ, you gave me a fucking heart attack!"

Vic simply shrugs with an easy grin. "Calm down, dude. I just saw him on the way over to your house and picked him up, so he's... uh, coming with us."

"And you didn't think to tell me this?" Kellin spits, pressing one palm to his aching forehead, "Fuck you, okay? Ugh. Fuck you."

"Chill out, mate," Oli drawls, his tone amused. "Your ass could turn coal into a diamond right now. And seriously, let's make a stop for Cheetos."

"So, wait. He's just going to spontaneously tag along?" Kellin asks in disbelief, looking between the two of them with an expression of dismay. "And your parents are _okay_ with this? Do they even know?"

There's a moment of silence in which Vic tightens his grip on the steering wheel, and then Oli laughs. "The less my old man knows, the better. And my mum hasn't even gotten out of bed since Tuesday," he snorts. "I doubt she can even remember her own fucking address, let alone me. Oi, Vic, pull in here!"

Vic pulls into a parking space in front of the 7-11 and the two of them quickly disembark, bumping shoulders as they head into the store and leaving Kellin to sit in the passenger seat in silence. _Shit_. Now he just feels like a complete asshole.

Absently, Kellin starts tapping his palms on the dashboard in a little rhythm as Vic talks to the cashier inside the store window. _Tap, tap, tap tap tap. Tap, tap, tap tap tap. Tap, tap._ He watches Oli hold the door open for Vic when they exit.

"Alright," Vic announces upon pulling the truck door open and getting into the driver's seat, "We have provisions." Kellin doesn't answer, instead choosing to hum and look out the window. Vic sighs. "Look. It's a few hours in a car together, okay? Let's just try and tolerate each other while we have to."

"Yeah," Kellin nods, "Alright." _You're doing this for Jesse and Justin_ , he mentally reminds himself.

Eventually, Vic starts backing out of the parking lot. "Oli, wanna put on some music or something? The cord's in one of the seat pockets back there."

Silently, Oli obeys; five minutes later, they're pulling onto a highway as _'Oops! ...I Did It Again'_ blares from the truck's speakers.

_Ha! So he does like Britney Spears. Suck on that, Justin._

Maybe Kellin would feel like laughing, if he didn't currently feel so much like breaking the window and attempting to eviscerate himself with a glass shard.

_"Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways? But to lose all my senses / That is just so typically me..."_

And so begins Kellin's fifteen-to-sixteen-hour road trip: trapped in a rolling metal death machine with both his worst enemy and a mysterious British guy he barely knows (who may or may not secretly be planning to sacrifice him to the elder gods).

 

+

**Author's Note:**

> i still can't believe i made austin a bad guy??? i feel so guilty abt that omg  
> as always, thanks so much for reading! kudos are amazing (and comments are even better)! :)
> 
> **i totally set this up for a chaptered story, but seeing as I currently have a few things on the go, im going to try and resist the temptation to keep writing it! (maybe ill come back to it in a while, tho, so we'll see.)


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